The need of the hour: Digital Marketing

What is Digital Marketing?

Imagine you have a bakery in India that is very famous in your locality and is booming with time. And you cater to the best bakery products. But people across the globe aren't aware of your bakery. And you want your business to be known globally and drive customers to your bakery from different parts of the world; every time they visit your locality. And for that, you need to list and market your bakery on digital platforms. So, whenever someone searches for Best Bakery in India or Bakery and the name of your locality, your bakery should pop up on their devices. It is what digital marketing is all about.

Now let's look into the nitty-gritty part of Digital Marketing.

Get Noticed Locally

• The first step of taking your business to digital platforms is to make sure that your business is listed; on the digital Local Search Directories. It helps your business pop up on people's devices in your locality when they look for a similar business to yours.
• The second step is to promote your presence on digital platforms. How to do that?

There are local digital routes such as-

1. Local Digital Ads
2. Location-based digital listings
3. Social Networks
4. Beacons
5. Directories

They help to promote your presence digitally across all digital platforms.

• The third step is your geographical content. It is vital to mention your business' locality for people to find you. And for that, you need to specify your location on all the digital platforms. So that anyone in your locality can find your business location.
• The fourth step is to register your business on Google My Business. As providing the location isn't enough. For someone to find your business and its location, it is crucial to register your business with Google My Business so that Google Maps can direct your customers correctly to your business location.
• The fifth step is to create your business website. Your business website will help you examine your potential customers' needs, what they are looking for and how you can provide it. Your website design should be fast loading, responsive, mobile-friendly, universally accessible, and should have quality content.
• The sixth and last step towards getting noticed locally is using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). In this step, you need to use trending and relevant keywords for your business. It would help your business to appear at the top of people's search engines.

Use of Social Media

Social Media is a blessing in disguise for businesses if you know how to use it and if you know how it works.

Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter provide easy and free-of-charge mediums to promote or advertise your business.

There are cost-effective promotions as well on such platforms. They help promote your business on a larger scale and help you to convert your potential customers into consumers.

The necessity of content marketing

Words surround us. And these words can shape ideas and create magic. But words would mean nothing if you can't serve their purpose to the fullest. And with words, the essential thing is your wit, choice of words, and industry understanding that would help you use content marketing at its full potential.

It is crucial to understand that there is a difference between Online & Offline Customers.

The content that works for offline customers may not work the same way for online customers. It is essential to understand audience segmentation and where to focus digital efforts when moving online.

Content marketing can help you generate leads on your website and convert them into your customers. But it is necessary to understand your business goals, mission statements, and Unique Selling Points (USP).

The relation of SEO and SEM with Content Marketing

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

In SEO, you integrate trending and relevant keywords in your content that enhance the use of content marketing. A free-of-cost way to promote and generate leads for your business website.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

SEM is one of the most effective ways of marketing your business digitally. It is direct and targets your target groups(TGs). It is unique when it comes to content marketing. As SEM is a paid promotion, it helps you appear at the top of the search engine with the correct content.

Digital Marketing enhances business presence online, making it the need of the hour. Numerous digital tactics and an opportunity to connect with customers make it the most suitable way to grow businesses.